Chapter 2: The Cat Life (2025)

Fast forward five hundred years. Yeah, you heard me. Five. Hundred. Years.

Tokyo is nothing like the village. It’s loud, it smells like exhaust and fried food, and the lights never turn off. I love it.

Currently, I am sitting on a very comfortable beige sofa in the Hoshi household. Well, "sitting" is a strong word. I am actually curled up in a ball, purring because Naomi—our human—is scratching that perfect spot right behind my ear.

"Oh, Haruka, you’re so soft today," Naomi coos. She is eighteen, with kind eyes and a messy bun. She smells like vanilla shampoo.

I let out a little mrrp sound. It’s involuntary. Being a cat has its perks.

Across the room, Yoshi—currently a sleek black cat with terrifying green eyes—is chasing a laser pointer dot that Naomi’s dad, Hajime, is wiggling across the floor. Yoshi knows it’s just a light. He knows Hajime is holding the device. But his predator instincts are stupidly strong. He pounces, misses, and crashes into the TV stand. Thump.

"Be careful, Blackie!" Hajime laughs. They gave us pet names because, obviously, they don't know we are ancient supernatural beings. Yoshi is 'Blackie', which he hates. Inoe is 'Mimi'. Kenuji is 'Grey'. Muji is 'Tiger'. And I'm 'Snowy'. Creative, right?

The TV is on in the background. A news anchor is smiling a bit too brightly.

"...crime statistics continue to baffle experts. Violent crime in the Kanto region has dropped by another 15% this month. Police are attributing it to better community policing, but rumors of the 'Shadow Guardians' persist online..."

Kenuji, in his grey cat form, is perched on the bookshelf. He twitches his tail as he watches the news. I can feel his thoughts projecting into my head. ‘Shadow Guardians? They make us sound like a boy band.’

‘Better than The Furry Avengers,’ Yoshi thinks back, shaking his head to clear the dizziness from hitting the TV stand.

‘Focus, you idiots,’ Inoe’s voice slides into our minds. She is a calico, looking elegant on the windowsill. ‘Hajime and Naomi are leaving soon. Hajime has that late shift at the factory, and Naomi is meeting her study group.’

Muji is under the coffee table, sharpening his claws on the rug. ‘Finally. I’m starving. Not for this dry kibble crap. I want real food.’

"Alright, Naomi, let's go," Hajime stands up, grabbing his keys. "Don't forget to lock up."

"I know, Dad. Bye kitties!" Naomi leans down and kisses my forehead. Then she scratches Muji’s chin (he tolerates it, barely) and heads out.

The door clicks shut. Then the lock turns. Clack.

We wait. One minute. Two minutes.

"Okay, coast is clear," Yoshi announces telepathically.

The air in the living room shimmers. It’s like static electricity building up. We all focus, pulling at that energy deep inside our cores.

Poof.

Five clouds of smoke explode in the living room.

When the smoke clears, we aren't cats anymore.

Yoshi stretches his arms over his head, his back cracking loudly. He’s wearing his favorite leather jacket and ripped jeans, looking like a bad-boy yakuza extra. "Man, my spine was killing me. Why does Hajime have to play with the laser for twenty minutes straight?"

"Because you act like an idiot and chase it," Kenuji says, pushing his glasses up his nose. He looks sharp in a crisp button-down shirt. "If you just ignored it, he would stop."

"I can't ignore it! It moves!" Yoshi defends himself, flopping onto the sofa—the human way this time.

Inoe shakes out her long, multi-colored hair, smoothing down her skirt. "Is there any pudding left in the fridge? I swear if Muji ate it, I’m going to mind-control him into walking into a wall."

Muji is already rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. He’s shirtless, because he hates clothes, revealing the old scars on his back. "I didn't eat your pudding. But I'm about to eat this instant ramen if someone doesn't stop me."

I spin around in my cute white dress, enjoying the feeling of having thumbs again. "We have work to do tonight, guys! The negative energy is getting low, but Kenuji said he sensed something weird near the old shopping district."

Kenuji nods, his expression serious. "Yeah. It’s faint, but it feels sticky. Like a slime mold spirit. Probably feeding on the stress of the exam students."

Yoshi grins, cracking his knuckles. The air around him gets colder. "Excellent. I need to punch something."

"Please don't punch the students," I remind him.

"No promises."